Under Your Mask (Gaelio/Julieta, Chapter 7)

"I hope they get back soon."

Julieta snapped out of her 'daydreaming', truly just wondering how her Master was doing and wondering what she should be doing in a residential home such as this, to see that Almiria appeared anxious. Not only that, the young girl seemed to possess a sad affect, likely born of the emotional turmoil now going through her thanks to learning of McGillis' true nature.

Since she was not trained in handling emotionally distraught children, Julieta decided to just respond to the question at hand rather than possibly make things worse, "They have a lot of important things to talk about."

Dusk was starting to fall, but inside the mansion everything was still lit thanks to the many lights and chandeliers hanging within its walls. The darkness still left a certain aura thanks to the windows letting its atmosphere creep inside, one which left the distraught Almiria with perhaps a less personable attitude than if it had been shining brightly outside. The light of her life, McGillis Fareed, had been revealed to have been a man who intended to eclipse her family's happiness much as the sun was fading from sight now.

In this manner, she was quiet and took a full minute to speak to Julieta again as they sat in the living room, "What do you do for Gjallarhorn?"

The silence had not bothered Julieta in the slightest given that she was used to being on her own or being in professional atmospheres where she did not have idle chatter, at least until she began to befriend Gaelio months before. A process she supposed would both make her job now more enjoyable and also more difficult, since how could she dedicate her full attention to guarding him when she would want to be speaking to him?

"I serve Rustal Elion and perform whatever duties he assigns me. Currently, my assignment is to protect Gaelio Bauduin against any threats that may present themselves."

This piqued Almiria's interest and drew her out of her shell as it brought to mind many books she had read and movies she had watched before, some even with Gaelio, "So you're his bodyguard?"

Julieta nodded once, not understanding why Almiria's eyes were brightening. Was she happy that her brother would be protected?

"Why?"

Almiria blushed as she realized that this straightforward friend of Gaelio's with piercing eyes could likely see through any lie she could spin, so Almiria came clean with where her mind had gone on the subject, "In some of the stories I read, the bodyguard-knights fall in love with their princesses and they live happily ever after."

The comparison fell flat due to Julieta taking it seriously and giving Almiria a baffled look, "Gaelio is not a princess and I do not fancy one."

That the details were not exact did not matter to the pre-teen girl, only that the type of love story she had read and seen a hundred times could very well play out before her, providing a welcome distraction for her mind away from her own failed romance, "It's close enough," Almiria sank in her seat as she realized how childish she must seem to Julieta now, "I just want my big brother to be happy."

It took a moment, but the response she got surprised the heiress.

"I want him to be happy too."

Almiria looked up and saw that Julieta had her eyes averted, as if she was embarrassed by what she had said. In truth, it had scared Julieta to realize that the thought of her friend being happy made her happy as well, for while she supposed it made her a good friend to value his well being it also demonstrated to her just how much she truly did care for Gaelio.

It had only been a few minutes, but she already felt that she missed him. On her mind was the question of just what the Bauduins were discussing, and if Gaelio was okay, since he had killed the former man chosen to marry into their family.

Looking across from her, Julieta realized that Gaelio wasn't the only one who was going to be facing consequences now. Almiria no longer had her fiance and if her crestfallen expression accurately showed her emotional status she was suffering too.

"Are you okay?"

Almiria was trying not to cry as she remembered how nicely she had been treated by what she now knew to be a terrible man, "My future husband is dead and tried killing my brother."

"I'm sorry," Julieta responded, though she did not know what else to say after it. She could see Almiria softly sobbing now though, the heiress' facade having cracked and revealed the hurt young girl beneath.

"I wanted to grow up and be the best wife I could be for him because of how well Macky treated me," Almiria sobbed as she bereaved her crushed hopes and dreams, "He was the only friend I had, and now he's gone."

"I lost someone I cared about recently too," Julieta empathized with her, thinking of how distraught she had been when she had been told Galan Mossa had died, "Tekkadan, the same people who McGillis was working with, killed someone who was like an uncle to me...maybe even like a father."

Almiria wiped an eye as she listened to Julieta, her young mind placing Tekkadan firmly in the realm of the 'enemy' while those who fought them and protected her family as 'good', "I don't really know about them, but they must be evil people if they hurt your family. You're a good person, you protect my brother."

Julieta did not know how to take that compliment, but she did agree that Tekkadan were vile. If she was not mistaken, they were tied into the mafia and were fine with breaking whatever laws they saw fit to benefit their own purposes. Immoral children floundering about and lashing out whenever necessary.

Looking up after this small contemplation, Julieta saw that Almiria had gotten up and was crossing the short distance between them. Eyes still watery and red, Almiria was holding back her crying while still possessing a pouting expression.

"Can I..."

Julieta took a moment to realize that Almiria was asking for permission to hug her. Not seeing a reason to really turn her down, Julieta allowed Almiria to sit down on her lap and curl up into her. It seemed that she wanted comfort and all she had to give it now was Almiria since the rest of her family was out of the room and McGillis was gone.

It seemed that, much like Julieta, Almiria was a lonely person. Like Gaelio had become.

Almiria had made herself comfortable and Julieta brought her arms around her friend's sister to match the arms now put around her own body. She could feel wet tears soak her uniform, but Julieta didn't really care since she understood that this child was emotional at the moment and needed time just as she had.

After her tears had run for another half minute and she had felt the warmth of Julieta's body, Almiria gathered herself enough to continue venting her feelings, "Now I'll never get married," after all, who would marry the former fiance of a murderer? Almiria not only felt betrayed, she felt tarnished and her tenuous reputation ruined, "Everyone already hated me, and now they're all going to make fun of me."

"Then they are idiots. Don't concern yourself with the opinion of fools."

Julieta's terse response caught Almiria off-guard, since it breached any understanding she had of the world of the nobility. Just ignore them? Unlike Almiria, Julieta had not been raised to possess a certain tolerance or respect for those with rank except for Galan Mossa himself. She could follow orders, but as she demonstrated with Iok if someone did not deserve her respect she did not grant it to them.

"But..."

Julieta looked down at Almiria as the girl looked up to her questioningly, "Who doesn't like you, the other rich people around your family?" Almiria nodded, having been mocked by other women for years for being so young yet engaged to McGillis, who they wanted for themselves, and by men who saw her as nothing but a little girl marrying a bastard child of the Fareed family, "Why do they matter?"

Almiria had no true response to that, not aware of all the intricacies of politics like her father did. She just knew that minding their opinions was what she was told to do and that she was supposed to treat them well, even if they didn't return the favor.

"If they look down on you for no reason of your own fault, and they don't have relevance to your life, you should not worry about them."

That was how Julieta lived up until then, and she didn't foresee that changing anytime soon. Little did she know that in another room in the house a discussion was being had of her status changing quite severely, and thus she would have to perhaps adapt to a more Almiria-like perspective.

"Father says I have to be nice to them, since it is what is expected of a lady."

Julieta turned her nose up at that, "If being nice to idiots is part of being a lady, I do not wish to be a lady."

"But if you and Gaelio get married you would be a lady."

Julieta tilted her head, still confused by Almiria's insistence, not understanding the mind of a young girl who instead of growing up on mobile suit manuals and combat doctrines grew up with fairy tale romances, "What makes you think that we..."

"Gaelio never brings women home with him, but he brought you here. The only girl he's ever been around was Miss Carta, and she passed away," Almiria explained her opinion towards Julieta and why she thought that it was so obvious Gaelio liked Julieta romantically, "So you must be really special to him if he wanted you to be with him."

That stopped Julieta in her tracks. Gaelio...he was so particular about who he brought home with him? If she was the only woman other than Carta Issue, his close childhood friend, who he ever brought home, then that would imply that he truly did value her as a close friend.

Julieta looked up as she contemplated that. They slept now in the same bed, worked together and engaged in pastime activities and meals with one another, and now he had essentially invited her over to meet his family.

Did Gaelio love her like Almiria was suggesting? It certainly would make sense given the circumstances, but...

Julieta blushed. If Gaelio liked her, then what should she do? Galan had never really confronted this issue, of how to properly deal with receiving affection from possible romantic interests.

"Is he special to you?"

That drove Julieta's blush to go deeper as Almiria's innocent question made her actually question that for herself.

Unsure about it herself, Julieta began to speak out loud, "Most consider me abnormal, and I've been called a monkey more than a few times," she sighed and as she let out the breath she came to have a smile, "Gaelio doesn't mind that I sometimes climb up on things. He may joke about it, but he doesn't mind that I eat...oddly."

In fact, Gaelio was seemingly unique in his own way too. He went around wearing a mask for months and months, he enjoyed playing with the notion of who he was with Julieta, he spoke to his mobile suit like it was alive, sometimes said odd things or did something as odd as buy a coworker something for them to do as a hobby since they did not possess one.

Concerning affection and Gaelio, there was something that had been bugging Julieta for some days now and that had only grown worse in the time since it began.

"Is it normal to dream about a friend?"

The odd question caught Almiria by surprise, but she managed to recover well enough despite the blush it brought to her face and the now sad memories it arose, "I don't know, but sometimes I used to dream of Macky..." Almiria asked the obvious question to follow up from Julieta's own, "Do you dream of Gaelio?"

Julieta was not much of a dreamer and rarely ever remembered them, but she had remembered having some kind of dream about Gaelio a few nights back...and another a night or two later...and another...

It was to her a sign that perhaps Rustal's question on whether she loved Gaelio or not may hold water, but she also rationalized that perhaps it just was because they had been spending entire days together and so he was on her mind when she went to bed.

"Recently, yes."

The subject matter took a slight tangential turn as Almiria's mind focused on some of what she had just spoken of, specifically how she used to dream of McGillis when she thought of him as her Prince Charming. She crossed her arms and huffed, "I hope I stop dreaming of Macky. He's a mean person and I'm glad I won't see him again."

Even to Julieta it was obvious that Almiria wasn't speaking entirely the entire truth of her emotions, "That's not how you truly feel."

The declaration that she was lying again challenged Almiria, who was unused to anyone except her father and brother daring to do so. It was not unwelcome, it just was a new experience for her and one that left her confused, "Huh?"

"You loved him for what he did for you, but now that you know more about him you are conflicted."

Julieta's bluntness continued to surprise Almiria, and while at first she had a brief breathe of anger swell up as she thought Julieta was daring to suggest she still cared for McGillis, Almiria soon realized that she did actually still have unresolved feelings on him and that anger turned inwards as she chastised herself. After all, how could she still have any fond memories of such a horrible man? It made her feel like a traitor towards her family to not be able to just instantly hate McGillis as much as she tried to.

"It is alright to hate him. Just make sure you do not lie to yourself when you do so," Julieta explained, "While not the same, I needed to realize I missed someone when they passed away to properly move on."

Being told that it was okay to feel conflicted calmed Almiria down and she resumed being curled up into Julieta, where the blonde pilot moved a hand to touch Almiria's periwinkle hair and stroked it to try and comfort her in a way she had seen from Galan Mossa before.

"I am sorry he was not the man you believed him to be."

Almiria wrapped her arms around Julieta again and gripped her uniform with her small fists, her distraught feelings flowing out now again through her teary eyes.

"How could Macky...why..."

Not seeming to understand the possibly rhetorical nature of Almiria's anguished question, Julieta answered it directly, "He wanted to lead a coup against Gjallarhorn and to forcibly change it with his political power he would take from his father, Carta Issue, and your family," seeing that Almiria seemed a bit confused, Julieta decided to explain what she thought to be the problem, "A coup is when one tries to take something over."

Almiria nodded before lowering her head back down into Julieta.

"Macky said he would make the world a better place for me. For us..."

"The world already is a better place for you," Julieta replied flatly before explaining herself, "Not only will you not be marrying a man who sought to use you, but you are one of the wealthiest women alive. What you make of this world is what you will get out of it, since you can do almost anything you want to."

Thinking herself to be nothing more than a child in a world of adults, Almiria had not considered her own potential or aspirations and her ability to achieve them. It seemed that the whole world was off doing everything that could and would be done, and she was just left as a spectator on the sidelines due to her age.

"But..."

Julieta did not give Almiria a chance to offer a weak rebuttal, "At your age I already was training to accomplish my own goals, so there is no reason you cannot. Your brother lost everything, but that has not stopped him from doing what he believes he must and accomplishing what he sought to."

She wouldn't let Gaelio's sister be weak and meek in the face of her life's adversity now that McGillis, her shield from it, was gone. Julieta decided then that, if she was able, she would make sure that this other girl lived up to whatever potential she possessed, as it would simply not do to watch a member of her friend's family waste away under the weight of their familial burden.

"If Gaelio can be strong, so can you."

Almiria nodded confidently, agreeing with Julieta and now wanting to prove her correct, but after a moment she came to sigh upon realizing that unlike Julieta she did not possess any real goal presently to pursue, "I don't know what I want to do...I only know my role as a lady, that is what I have to do, but..."

The heiress stopped as she looked up at Julieta and smiled, giggling a moment later as she realized something.

Julieta did not know what was so amusing that it could cause a change in mood, so she looked quizzically down at Almiria, "What's funny?"

"I think I know why my big brother likes you."

Why Gaelio...

"Huh?"

Almiria nodded, "You don't hold anything back," "Everyone is always so mean to me because they think I'm a kid, but you treat me like an adult. Not just some kid who is in your way."

The girl looked away and blushed, now feeling self-conscious about her own insecurities.

"Thank you."

A moment later she received an odd response, this coming in the form of a rumbling stomach.

It seemed that Julieta had not eaten since before she arrived, and it took some time to travel there so now as the day came to a close she was actually quite hungry without having realized it until her body reminded her. She was used to ignoring hunger or thirst for hours until she could acquire it thanks to her upbringing as a soldier, and now that it was readily available her body had not yet adjusted to that.

"Are you hungry, Miss Julieta?"

Julieta sheepishly agreed, and she soon found herself eating food which was prepared by the family's servants with a bit of help from Almiria. She had requested meat, and when given vinison she wasn't displeased.

After eating, Julieta and Almiria were met by Gaelio and his father in the dining room.

Gallus politely bowed to their guest, "Miss Juris, I have to thank you for helping my son. If there is anything I can ever do for you, you need only ask."

Julieta returned the bow, not wanting to appear rude, "Thank you, Lord Bauduin."

"I am afraid it is getting late or I would like to take the chance to speak with you. You are welcome to stay here for as long as you wish, and I can have a room prepared for you should you wish to stay the night."

"A room is unnecessary. I do not wish to make your servants go out of their way for something I do not need," Julieta deadpanned. While she did not explicitly state it just yet, Almiria and Gallus both picked up on one possible meaning of what she said right away.

Almiria scoffed at her brother and put her hands on her hips, "Because you and Gaelio share a bed? Brother, how scandalous!"

Gaelio attempted damage control and scoffed right back at his sister, "You have quite the imagination."

Julieta shrugged, "I meant I could just sleep on the couch, but I could share a bed with Ga-Lord Gaelio if needed. We have already."

That earned Gaelio a good stare from both Almiria and Gallus, with Gaelio beating them to the punch of talking while holding his hands up as if to stop their trains of thought.

"Nothing happened, before you ask. Right, Julieta?"

Realizing now that perhaps she was placing Gaelio in hot water, Julieta did back him up since it was the truth that they had not actually slept with one another or done anything of the sort, "Your son has not acted improperly."

That being said, Julieta wondered if consistently waking up with Gaelio's head curled up into her chest counted. She didn't mind having him so close, but perhaps they would. Perhaps, she supposed, it was another sign that she was in love with him? It was something she intended to figure out in her own way, since this was new territory for her.

Gallus gave his son an amused smirk before bowing his head and departing the room, "Very well. I will be retiring now, so I hope you all have a good night."

With their father leaving, Gaelio looked over to his sister.

"Almiria, you should be going to bed now too, shouldn't you?"

She crossed her arms in protest, "I don't want to go to bed. I'm not a child."

Knowing a good way to goad her into doing what he wanted her to, Gaelio bent down to her level and put a hand softly on her shoulder, "You need your sleep though if you want to grow up big and strong like your brother."

Her present size or rather lack thereof being a sore spot for Almiria, this instantly changed her tune and she gave in to the request to go to bed even though it was fairly early, night having just fallen, "Okay..."

While Almiria had agreed to go to bed, she did so on the condition that she sleep beside Gaelio. Which also meant sleeping by Julieta. Who, when they all got ready for bed together, did not seem to make the connection that she perhaps should sleep in different clothing than when it was just her and Gaelio.

The lights off, Julieta had stripped down to just her bra and the shorts she wore as underwear. Gaelio sighed as he came to realize that she intended to sleep as they normally did, and so he went into his room's wardrobe to pull out a loose t-shirt and a larger set of shorts.

Julieta gave him a confused look as he handed them over to her, "To change into."

"I sleep in my underwear."

Gaelio bent over to whisper to her as Almiria crawled into the bed on the other side of the room, "Not when Almiria is in the bed you don't."

Julieta thought it through and considered that perhaps other people might not like her being nearly naked around a pre-teen child including the child herself, so Julieta pulled the clothing handed to her on and relented without further argument. The t-shirt was far too large for her, and the shorts only hung on thanks to being adjustable.

With sleeves hanging down past her hands, Julieta made her way over to the bed and dug beneath the covers to free herself from the confines of consciousness. Gaelio joined her right after, with Almiria snuggling right up against him the moment he got in the bed, eager to be with her big brother and to hold him and never let him go again.

"I'm so happy you're back, Gaelio. I don't know what I would do if Macky died and I heard he was a bad man and you were..."

Dead was the word her voice failed to say.

"I'm sorry, Almiria, for what I had to do. McGillis needed to be stopped..." "A villain like him had no place in this world, and especially not at your side."

"Please don't leave me again. I can't lose you again."

"I promise, Almiria."

"I love you."

"And I love you, Almiria. Now get some sleep. We'll always have more time to talk in the morning."

Julieta found that having a small barrier in the form of Almiria in her way to holding Gaelio was a bit annoying considering that she was used to sleeping right beside her friend, but she was capable of dealing with the minor distraction for their sake as brother and sister held one another.

(End of part 1)